Fighting Side by Side
Rattle, rattle.
Ceria and Ryan walked along the streets of District 48, dragging a travel bag packed to the brim.
“Huh? What's that?”
A roadside stall caught Ceria's eye. Small, dainty accessories covered the display board in neat rows.
“I didn't see this here yesterday.”
“Care to take a look, young lady? You're welcome to try them on!”
As it turned out, the vendor was an itinerant merchant who traveled between the smaller residential settlements, setting up temporary stalls. Today happened to be District 48's turn.
“Hmm...”
Ceria browsed the spread. There were almost too many choices, making it difficult to settle on just one.
“Ryan, which one looks good to you?”
“Huh? I... I don't really know anything about this stuff...”
“Come on, pick one for me~ It was my birthday yesterday, remember? Just think of it as picking out a birthday present~”
Hearing the words birthday present only made Ryan feel the weight of the task press down harder. Sensing his wavering gaze, the merchant chimed in helpfully.
“Picking out a gift for your girlfriend? She has such a lovely charm—how about a hairpin?”
“Uh, she's not... my girlfriend...”
Ryan glanced back and forth between the hairpin the vendor held out and Ceria's hair. A pale red floral hairpin—it didn't seem awkward or out of place on her at all.
“Let me see it. Mister, you said I could try it on, right?”
“Yes, yes, of course!”
Taking the pin from Ryan, Ceria carefully slipped it into her hair. It provided an eye-catching accent that brightened her otherwise simple hairstyle.
“Ryan, how is it? Do I look pretty?”
Ceria leaned her head toward him as if putting it on display. The faint, sweet scent of lavender shampoo drifted into the air.
“Yeah. You look pretty. But... I don't have any money on me...”
“It's fine~ You can just pay me back later. Here you go, mister!”
Ceria handed the vendor his money. Leaving the hairpin nestled in her hair, she resumed her steps toward the research facility.
Even though she had paid for it herself, the mere thought that Ryan had picked out a gift for her filled Ceria with pure delight.
Upon returning, Ceria announced that she would be staying at the facility for the time being. Robert let out a heavy sigh. Having acquired two freeloaders in such rapid succession, it was only natural that his mood darkened.
“Yes... very well...”
“I'm sorry. I should have mentioned it sooner. They asked me to stay here and evaluate what kind of person Ryan is until the administrative procedures wrap up...”
Naturally, it was a blatant lie. Johann had never said any such thing; it was entirely Ceria's scheme to stay by Ryan's side until the paperwork went through.
Fortunately, there were plenty of spare rooms in the residential wing. Ceria's room was assigned directly across the hall from Ryan's.
While the administrative process was underway, the two agreed to assist Robert with his research together.
When Robert saw both of them crammed onto a single motorcycle, he offered to repair Ceria's bike, rattling off a laundry list of concerns from safety hazards to a lack of storage space. Yet he failed to sway Ceria in the slightest and ultimately threw up his hands in defeat.
Ryan was already skilled enough to handle ordinary demons on his own, but with Ceria fighting beside him, their skirmishes concluded almost anticlimactically fast. Ceria, too, seemed noticeably more confident fighting at Ryan's side than she ever had alone.
“Ceria, I'll engage first today. You finish it off.”
“Got it!”
Since Ryan was slated to join Training Team 2 anyway, they decided to hone their coordination beforehand. Just as Ceria had anticipated, their synergy on the battlefield was exceptional.
“Told you so. I said we'd make a great team.”
“You were right. I'm slow and you're fast, so the demons can't seem to match our tempo.”
“Right? Which means we should fight together often, don't you think?”
“Hmm...”
“Why the long pause? Shouldn't you answer right away?”
“Yeah. Let's fight together often from now on.”
“Too late!”
“Ack! Ow!”
“I know that didn't hurt! Stop acting like a baby!”
The memory of their initial awkward exchanges in stiff, formal speech had long since faded. Not only had he grown comfortable around her, but they were now casually teasing each other without hesitation.
For Ryan, it was genuinely fun. Her playful punches never actually hurt, and the pout on her face while hitting him was rather endearing.
She was like a tutor who shared all sorts of valuable knowledge with him; taking a few soft blows was a small price to pay. While books offered plenty of facts, hearing them firsthand from a rising star of the knight order was far richer and more vivid.
“So, Ceria, are you planning on joining the Western Knights?” Ryan asked as he wiped down the blade of his halberd.
“Of course. Once I turn nineteen and become an adult, I can receive formal knighthood. That's when I'll enlist in the Western Knights.”
“Nineteen... so about two years left?”
“Yep. The older kids in Team 2 will almost certainly head to the Central Knights. I'll probably be the only one joining the West...”
“How do you choose a knight order? Based on where you live?”
“No. That's only true for the Eastern Knights. For the Western and Central orders, you can go wherever you want. Where do you want to go, Ryan?”
The answer Ceria hoped for was, naturally, the Western Knights. Deep down, she worried that if he chose the Central Knights, she might feel compelled to follow him there instead.
“Hmm... tell me the difference between them.”
“The difference... Well, the atmosphere in the West is much friendlier. It's great for meeting people, and everyone's pretty sociable.”
“The Central order has far more powerful knights. It's a pure meritocracy, you could say. The vast majority of Master Knights belong to Central. In the West, let's see... there's my dad, my sister, maybe five at most...”
“I see... In that case, I'll go to the West.”
Ceria cheered inwardly. Her plan(?) to stay together with Ryan seemed to be progressing without a single hitch.
“Really? Then you promise we're going to the West together, right? No backing out!”
“Well, I might change my mind...”
“Ryan~ What did you just say?”
Ceria playfully jabbed him in the ribs.
“Ow, hey!”
“Oh, please, that doesn't hurt! You really are a crybaby, you know that?”
“No, it's not that it hurts, it's just... you hit the exact spot where...”
“Anyway, let's go to the West together~ It'll be nice for you to have at least one comrade joining at the same time, right?”
“Y-Yeah... so could you stop poking me now?”
“Nope, my choice. Three more pokes.”
“Ow! That's not a finger, that's a fist—ack!”
Hunting demons, asking questions, and trading playful banter—that was how the two spent their days.
A few days later, Robert requested another demon hunt. The hazard level was B+ Rank.
While not an insurmountable foe, it was situated quite a distance away. With Ceria riding behind him, Ryan steered the motorcycle.
Arriving near the coordinates Robert had provided, they spotted the demon's silhouette in the distance. Knowing they would be detected if they drove any closer, they parked the bike a safe distance away.
With chalk-white skin, a massive frame, and oversized shoulders, the demon bore an uncanny resemblance to a bear.
“That's why they call it a Bear Type. It's as powerful as it looks, so be careful. It's craftier than you'd expect, too. Above all, don't let its forepaws hit you.”
“Got it. Then I'll engage first. While I lock it in a clash of strength, attack it from behind.”
“Sounds like a plan!”
As planned, Ryan charged straight ahead. Among all the demons of comparable rank he had encountered so far, this one possessed the greatest raw strength.
Dodging its devastating swipes, Ryan swung his halberd. Its hide was so thick that breaking through seemed nearly impossible.
Taking advantage of Ryan drawing the beast's full attention, Ceria closed the distance. Normally, any demon would sense approaching mana, yet oddly enough, demons never seemed to detect her presence. More often than not, they only realized she was there once they laid eyes on her directly.
Just as I thought... It can't read my presence either, just like the others.
Ceria locked her gaze on the demon's throat. If even Ryan struggled to cut through its hide, targeting a vital point was her best option. Its chest was far too thick, leaving its neck as the only viable opening.
Seeing that Ceria had drawn close enough, Ryan braced his halberd to block both of the demon's forepaws. While the two locked in a contest of pure muscle, Ceria drew her blade and leapt high into the air.
I have to take it down in a single blow!
With a fierce shout, Ceria brought her sword slashing down. She managed to sever the nape of its neck, but the cut was slightly too shallow; the demon was still breathing.
Only after suffering the blow did the demon realize she was there. Whipping its head around, the beast targeted the defenseless girl.
It's too dangerous for Ceria to handle alone! I need to pull its attention—
Seeing the demon turn its back to focus on Ceria, Ryan rushed forward. In his haste, however, he failed to notice that its eyes were already darting back toward him.
The moment Ryan pulled his halberd back to strike, the demon pivoted back in his direction. With all the momentum of its turning body behind it, its right forepaw tore through the air straight toward him.
Wait—
The massive paw, tipped with razor-sharp talons, slammed dead-center into Ryan's face. The sheer kinetic force sent him tumbling backward, rolling across the dirt several times before crashing to a halt.
“Ryan!”
Paying no heed to Ceria's desperate scream, the demon charged toward Ryan. But just as it raised both forepaws high to deliver the finishing blow to the fallen boy, its massive body froze stiff.
The spear tip of Ryan's halberd was driven straight through the center of its chest. A thrust delivered with every ounce of strength had struck dead into its vital core.
With a deflating wheeze escaping its jaws, the demon collapsed backward. Ceria sprinted toward Ryan as fast as her legs could carry her.
“Ryan! Are you okay?!”
Her voice was already half-choked with tears as she called his name. But when she inspected the face that had taken the full brunt of the beast's paw, her jaw dropped in utter disbelief.
It had been a direct strike from a B+ rank demon, and a devastatingly powerful Bear Type at that. She had expected catastrophic injuries. To an ordinary knight, such a blow would have meant instant death.
Yet Ryan's face was completely unblemished—not a single scratch, bruise, or mark in sight.
“How... is this even possible?”